-
Period: to
Civil War Timeline
-
National Democratic Convention
The 1860 Democratic National Convention convened at South Carolina Institute Hall in Charleston, South Carolina. -
Democratic Convention in Richmond
The Democratic Convention was held in Richmond, Virginia. -
Presidential Election
Abraham Lincoln was elected President of the United States of America. -
James Chestnut
James Chestnut was a southerner that resigned from senate. -
Robert Toombs
On this date in 1860, Robert Toombs resigned from the senate. -
The First Secession Convention
The first Secession Convention meets in Columbia, South Carolina. -
Crittenden Compromise
Crittenden compromise failed. -
South Carolina Secedes
South Carolina secedes from the Union. -
President Buchanan
President Buchanan fires his cabinet. -
John Floyd Resigns
John Floyd resigned from his position after disagreements with Buchanon over Fort Sumter. -
Inauguration
Abraham Lincoln is inaugurated as the sixteenth president of the United States. -
Fort Sumter Attack
Southern Forces fire on Fort Sumter, South Carolina. This was the beginning of the Civil War. -
Lincoln issues Proclamation
President Lincoln issues a public declaration that an insurrection exists and calls for 75,000 militia to stop the rebellion. -
Battle of Philippi
A fight took place in western Virginia which is the first clash between Union and Confederate forces in the east. -
Battle of Big Bethel
Battle of Big Bethel was the first land battle of the Civil War in Virginia. -
Battle of Bull Run
The Battle of Bull Run was the first major full-scale battle of the Civil War. -
Battle of Wilsons Creek
The first major battle of the Trans-Mississippi Theater of the American Civil War. -
Fort Hatteras at Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, falls to Union naval forces.
Fort Hatteras at Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, falls to Union naval forces. This begins the first Union efforts to close southern ports along the Carolina coast. -
Lexington Missouri Falls
Lexington, Missouri falls to Confederate forces under Sterling Price. -
Battle of Ball's Bluff
The Battle of Ball's Bluff was an early battle of the American Civil War fought in Loudoun County, Virginia, on October 21, 1861, in which Union Army forces under Major General George B. McClellan suffered a humiliating defeat. -
Battle of Mill Springs
Battle of Mill Springs, Kentucky. The Union victory weakened the Confederate hold on the state. -
Surrender of Fort Henry
Surrender of Fort Henry, Tennessee. The loss of this southern fort on the Tennessee River opened the door to Union control of the river. -
Battle of Roanoke Island
Battle of Roanoke Island, North Carolina. A Confederate defeat, the battle resulted in Union occupation of eastern North Carolina and control of Pamlico Sound, to be used as Northern base for further operations against the southern coast. -
Surrender of Fort Donelson
Surrender of Fort Donelson, Tennessee. This primary southern fort on the Cumberland River left the river in Union hands. -
Jefferson Davis Inauguartion
Jefferson Davis was inaugurated as President of the Confederate States of America. -
Battle of Pea Ridge
The Union victory loosened the Confederate hold on Missouri and disrupted southern control of a portion of the Mississippi River. -
First Ironclads
The naval battle between the USS Monitor and the CSS Virginia, the first "ironclads", is fought in Hampton Roads, Virginia. -
The Battle of Shiloh
The Battle of Shiloh, the first major battle in Tennessee.The Union victory further secures the career of Union General Ulysses S. Grant. -
First Battle of Winchester, Virginia
General "Stonewall" Jackson attacks Union forces at Winchester and successfully drives them from the city. The victory is the culmination of his 1862 Valley Campaign. -
The Battle of Antietam
The bloodiest single day of the Civil War. Following the Union victory, President Lincoln will introduce the Emancipation Proclamation, an executive order that freed every slave in the Confederate States. -
The Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation went into effect and freed slaves in states not under Union control. -
The Siege of Chattanooga
Confederate forces under Braxton Bragg surround the occupied city. General Ulysses S. Grant is assigned to command the troops there and begins immediate plans to relieve the besieged Union army. -
Battle of Stones River
Fought between the Union Army and the Confederate Army of Tennessee, the Union victory frees middle Tennessee from Confederate control and boosts the North. -
The Battle of Chancellorsville
A Confederate victory that stopped an attempted flanking movement by Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker's Army of the Potomac against the left of Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. -
The Battle of Brandy Station
The largest predominantly cavalry engagement of the American Civil War, as well as the largest ever to take place on American soil -
Battle of Second Winchester
Confederate troops defeat Union troops, clearing the Shenandoah Valley of Union forces. -
The Battle of Gettysburg
The bloodiest battle of the Civil War. -
The Battle of Chickamauga
The Union Army of the Cumberland under General William Rosecrans is defeated and nearly routed by the Confederate Army. -
The Battle for Chattanooga
The Union victory sends the Confederate Army south into Georgia where General Bragg reorganizes his forces before resigning from command on November 30. -
Lincoln Issues Proclamation
Abraham Lincoln Issues his Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction, which would pardon those who participated in the "existing rebellion" if they take an oath to the Union. -
First Submarine Attack of the Civil War
A seven-man submergible craft, attacked the USS Housatonic outside of Charleston, South Carolina. Struck by the submarine's torpedo, the Housatonic broke apart and sank, taking all but five of her crew with her. -
Battle of Sabine Crossroads
The first major battle of the Red River Campaign in Louisiana. -
Battle of Pleasant Hill
The Union Army defeats the attempt by Confederate forces under General Richard Taylor to drive them out of Louisiana. -
Capture of Fort Pillow
Confederate cavalry under Nathan Bedford Forrest attacked the Union at Fort Pillow, located on the Mississippi River. -
Battle of the Wilderness
Lee responded to the orders of the campaign by attacking the Union column in the dense woods and underbrush of the Wilderness, west of Fredericksburg, Virginia. -
Battle of Yellow Tavern
Confederate cavalry under General J.E.B. Stuart blocked a force of Union cavalry under General Philip Sheridan. -
Battle of Cold Harbor
Relentless and bloody Union attacks fail to dislodge Lee's army from its strong line of defense. -
Abraham Lincolns Nomination
Abraham Lincoln is nominated by his party for a second term as president. -
The Battle of Cedar Creek
Confederates successfully attack and drive troops of the Army of the Shenandoah from their camps on the banks of Cedar Creek south of Middletown, Virginia. -
Abraham Lincoln Reelected
Abraham Lincoln is reelected president of the United States. -
Lincolns Inauguration
For his second term, President Abraham Lincoln is inaugurated. -
Attack on Fort Stedman
Confederate troops under General John B. Gordon attack and briefly capture the Union fort in the Petersburg siege lines in an attempt to prevent Union plans for a late March assault. -
The Battle of Five Forks
The Confederate defeat at Five Forks initiates General Lee's decision to abandon the Petersburg and Richmond siege lines. -
The Fall of Petersburg and Richmond
General Lee abandons both Petersburg and Richmond, and moves his army west in hopes of joining Confederate forces -
Battle of Appomattox Court House and Surrender
A early morning attempt to break through Union forces blocking the route west to Danville, Virginia. That afternoon Lee signed the document of surrender. -
Abraham Lincoln Assasinated
President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth at Ford's Theater in Washington, DC. -
General Richard Taylor Surrenders
General Richard Taylor surrenders Confederate forces in the Department of Alabama, Mississippi and East Louisiana. -
Jefferson Davis Captured
Confederate President Jefferson Davis is captured by Irwinville, Georgia. -
The Final Battle
The Confederates take the victory at the final battle in Palmito Ranch, Texas. -
Civil War Ends
After a lot of battles and encounters, the Civil War ended. -
Dynamite Invented
Alfred Nobel invented Dynamite -
Freedmans Bureau Bill
Freedmans Bureau Bill was passed by Congress on this date. -
Texas Repeals
Texas repealed the Secessionist Convention. -
Civil Rights Act of 1866 Vetoed
The Civil Rights Act of 1866 was vetoed by Andrew Johnson. -
Civil Rights Act Veto Overruled
The Civil Rights Act that was vetoed was overruled. -
14th Amendment passed
The 14th amendment was passed by Congress. -
David Farragut
David Farragut is given the Admiral position. -
Andrew Johnson Declares War is Over
On this date, Andrew Johnson officially declares the war is over. -
Texas Agreement
A proclamation was made with Texas to make peace. -
14th Amendment Rejected
South Carolina rejected the 14th amendment. -
Yellow Fever
Yellow Fever took the lives of many people, mainly people who fought during the Civil War. -
Right to Vote
African American people in Washington D.C. were given the right to vote -
Nebraska
Nebraska is admitted as the 37th state of America. -
Tenure of Office Act
The Tenure of Office Act was a United States federal law in force from 1867 to 1887 that was intended to restrict the power of the president to remove certain office-holders without the approval of the Senate. -
Virginia Denies
Even with the reconstruction, Virginia denies African American people the right to vote. -
2nd Reconstruction Act
Congress passes the 2nd reconstruction act on this date. -
Alaska
The United States bough Alaska from Russia. -
Treaty of Alaska Ratified
The Treaty of Alaska was officially ratified. -
Edwin Stanton
Edwin Stanton, Secretary of War, forced to resign. -
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant interim Secretary of War.